Sensigreen CDH Foundation

The Sensigreen CDH Foundation was created in February, 2017 by Justin and Jessica Quinn. Justin and Jessica are the parents of Lily Quinn. Lily was born on December 15, 2007 with a left-sided Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. The Quinns received this devastating diagnosis at a routine 28-week ultrasound. Immediately they searched for answers to their many questions on what their best options for survival and care were. After spending weeks researching, the Quinns decided the best option for Lily's success was to give birth at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, then immediately transfer her to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in Philadelphia. This was made possible by many factors, one of the biggest being that Justin was raised in the area. Because of family so close to this amazing facility, they were fortunate to be able to move Jessica and their oldest daughter, Katie, in with his parents.

After visiting with CHOP staff and going through extensive tests, Justin and Jessica were given the news that Lily's hernia was on the severe side of the spectrum. Their team of physicians walked them through what both the best case and the worst case scenarios could look like. The Quinns knew what no parent to be ever wants to know, Lily only had a 50/50 chance at survival. Justin and Jessica stayed optimistic through the weeks leading up to Lily's birth. Justin was traveling back and forth from Atlanta every week up until the birth for work. It was because of the extreme generosity of Justin's co-workers and customers that he was able to travel and be with his family every weekend during this terribly stressful time-they paid for all of his air travel.

On December 15, 2007, the greatest miracle that Justin & Jessica have ever been a part of was about to begin. Lily was born at 10:48 am at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. When Lily tried to take her first breath, she went blue. She was immediately swept away from her terrified parents and taken to her team of doctors waiting on the other side of the operating room to start caring for her. It took 45 minutes, which felt like a lifetime, before the doctors came to see Jessica and Justin in their room to tell them that Lily was stable and in the NICU. At that point, they were finally able to go see their 2nd born daughter for the first time. She was so tiny and hooked up to all sorts of machines and of course they were in a holding pattern to see how she would respond.

On day 4, Dr. Alan W. Flake, the pediatric surgeon told them they were going to be able to do surgery and repair her hernia. This was amazing news because they were told it could be weeks before they could even think of reparative surgery. Lily was fighting so hard and was doing so well that she was able to do surgery in the operating room which was another hurdle she conquered. Too many times they cannot move CDH babies because the risk it too great, so they operate right in the NICU. Lily came out of surgery with flying colors and started the healing process on December 21, 2007 a day that Justin and Jessica will never forget.

From then on Lily did nothing but improve and had no setbacks. The 4–6 month stay at the hospital that Justin and Jessica anticipated, turned into 5 weeks and Lily was headed home on no medications and with no feeding tube. It was by the grace of God and with great gratitude that Justin and Jessica were able to bring a healthy baby girl home after being diagnosed with such a devastating condition. Like so many other parents with children who stay in the NICU for any period of time, the NICU nurses instantly became family. The Quinns will be forever grateful for all of the help they got from everyone they came in contact with throughout this trying time.

After they returned home to the Atlanta area Justin received more troubling news. Their insurance only covered half of all the costs related to Lily's birth due to being out of network. The bill was just under $500,000. The resources were not there to pay that bill and it created more stress on the young parents. This is when the second miracle came their way. Justin and Jessica received a grant from a family that covered almost all of the bill. They couldn't believe their family would receive another miracle. It is this gift that really stuck with Justin and he has always said that if he ever had the opportunity to financially help another CDH family he would. He and Jessica credit receiving the best care available for saving their Lily.

In 2016, Justin and Jessica approached Sensigreen's marketing director with the idea of creating a charitable foundation to benefit Alabama families who receive the life altering CDH diagnosis. With the help of local attorney, Kim Hudson, and the accounting firm of Machen McChesney, the plan was set in motion. Because of Sensigreen's loyal customers and our amazing community we will work to educate our neighbors on this diagnosis. We will also raise funds to help families faced with this diagnosis. We will begin serving families in Alabama and as the Sensigreen CDH Foundation grows we hope to expand to helping families in GA. In addition to financial assistance, our goal is to not only help parents of children born with CDH but to lead the medical community into finding the cause and prevention of this devastating birth defect. About Sensigreen Mechanical: Sensigreen Mechanical is a full-service Heating, Air-conditioning, Plumbing, and Insulation company located in Opelika, Alabama. We serve families all over the state of Alabama and customers in west Georgia.